#corporate-governance

#corporate-governance

Goldman Sachs got some unwanted attention yesterday for its reported plans to scrap DEI criteria for its board, about a year after erasing diversity goals for its workforce. Many other companies have done the same amid a federal crackdown and several state lawsuits over corporate DEI efforts. ( Starbucks won a dismissal last week after Missouri challenged its DEI initiatives, freeing up time to battle a recent suit in Florida.)

DP World is one of the world's largest logistics companies. It runs the Jebel Ali port in Dubai, where it has long been a pillar of the city's economy, and operates terminals in other ports around the world. The emails referenced pornography, sexual massages and escorts, among other things. A person's name being mentioned in the Epstein files does not necessarily imply any wrongdoing, however the nature of the correspondence has raised a number of questions.

Disney has named its parks chief Josh D'Amaro to succeed Bob Iger as the entertainment giant's top executive. D'Amaro will become the 9th CEO in the more than 100-year-old company's history. He has overseen the company's theme parks, cruises and resorts since 2020. The Experiences division has been a substantial moneymaker for Disney, with $36 billion in annual revenue in fiscal 2025 and 185,000 employees worldwide.

ADM announced on Tuesday that it has entered into a settlement agreement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to resolve its investigation into ADM's prior reporting of inter-segment sales, without admitting or denying any wrongdoing. As part of the settlement, ADM agreed to pay a $40 million penalty. According to the SEC, ADM engaged in years of profit-shifting that made its star nutrition segment appear to meet ambitious growth targets, even as demand softened and margins declined.

As audit committees confront a rapidly expanding risk landscape, their role in corporate governance is being reshaped. Boards have often turned to current and former CFOs as independent directors, particularly for audit committees, because of their ability to translate complex operational and financial realities into effective oversight.For example, this month, J. Michael Hansen, former EVP and CFO of Cintas Corporation, was appointed to the audit committee at Paychex.

This transaction strengthens the Company's balance sheet and reflects the Board's determination to take decisive action. With improved financial stability and a clear governance framework in place, the focus can now be on disciplined execution and long-term value creation.

JPMorgan's asset and wealth management division is ditching its long-held practice of using external proxy advisors for advice on shareholder voting decisions. The bank said it was "the first major investment firm to fully eliminate any reliance on external proxy advisors for our U.S. voting process," according to an excerpt from an internal memo seen by Business Insider.

The more consequential issue for boards and shareholders alike is whether director compensation frameworks are still "fit for purpose" in a governance environment that has grown materially more complex, more adversarial, and more global. If board service has quietly evolved into a role that requires greater time, sharper judgment, and higher reputational risk, then our assumptions about compensation deserve a closer look.

UK-listed companies will be able to bury controversies over executive pay for the first time in eight years, a thinktank has warned, after the Labour government shut down a public tracker meant to curb abuses and excess in the boardroom. The public register was launched under the Tory prime minister Theresa May in 2017 to name and shame companies hit by shareholder revolts at their annual general meetings (AGMs). That included rebellions over issues such as excessive bonuses or salary increases for top earning bosses.

To put this in perspective ... it is probably the most important launch of my career. ... This has been a personal journey of mine since I joined the company 43 years ago.

Striking Starbucks workers walk the picket line in New York City, on December 1, 2025.ANGELA WEISS / AFP via Getty Images Thousands of Starbucks workers across a hundred cities are nearly one month into an expanding, nationwide unfair labor practice strike in protest of the coffee giant's "historic union busting and failure to finalize a fair union contract," according to Starbucks Workers United, the barista union that has spread to over 650 stores since its birth in Buffalo four years ago.

In its announcement, Binance reported that it has secured three global financial licenses within Abu Dhabi Global Market, a special economic zone inside the Emirati city. The licenses regulate three different prongs of the exchange's business: its exchange, clearinghouse, and broker dealer services. The three regulated entities are named Nest Exchange Limited, Nest Clearing and Custody Limited, and Nest Trading Limited, respectively.

Did you know that nearly 60% of companies struggle to find the right non-executive director? This alarming statistic underscores the importance of a strategic approach to your non-executive director search . In today's dynamic business environment, having the right leadership can make a world of difference in steering your organization toward success. Here, we'll explore five key steps to streamline your search, ensuring you find the ideal candidate who aligns with your company's vision and values.

The $1 trillion pay package for CEO Elon Musk that Teslashareholders approved on Nov. 6-the world's first-was labeled by the board as an exemplar of pay for performance. And at first glance, the program appears to fit that description in a big way: The hurdles it establishes for Musk to receive any compensation at all, let alone achieve the maximum 13-digit payout, appear the ultimate in stretch goals. Skeptical observers might wonder: "How could anyone be motivated by targets this seemingly unachievable?"

Choose your heroes very carefully and then emulate them. You will never be perfect, but you can always be better.